We were in the Philippines from mid-January to mid-February of this year and it was a great blessing to be in the tropics to get away from the freezing cold London weather. Our third week was spent at Club Paradise in Palawan, one of the best tropical destinations in the country. Thanks to our very generous benefactor for giving us this exceptional gift. (Thank you L&P 🙂 ) Continue reading “Memories of a Tropical Paradise”
Every time my friends ask me for a list of traditional British things to do when they’re visiting London, I always put ‘afternoon tea’ on the long list of suggestions I give them. More importantly, I always add a note: “there’s nothing more quintessentially British than Afternoon Tea, and you must do it at one of the historic hotels in London.” More often than not, they’d consider my suggestion and tell me later on that either “they enjoyed it or it’s just not their cup of tea.” 🙂 Continue reading “Afternoon Tea at Andaz Liverpool Street Hotel”
Let’s face it, those of us who come from far flung countries like the Philippines or Japan, have no full comprehension of the British culture even after living in the country for over a decade. If you’re like me, the first few months of living here must have brought some culture shock to your system. And I’m not even talking about any difficulty you may have encountered in trying to understand the British accent (it can be a challenge), but rather I’m referring to the British way of life; how the Britons conduct themselves and what motivates them to behave in a certain fashion. I deem the topic of such interest that I decided to do a series of post about all the things that I have so far learned about the British culture in the last sixteen years. I’ve lived in England that long, I’m afraid! 😉 Yet there are far too many things I don’t understand about my adopted country. But let’s not even go there, I’m here to talk about the things I have come to fully understand and eagerly embrace. Here’s the very first one . . . Continue reading “Things I have learned about the British Culture: They love to talk about the weather (Part 1)”
The award winning ITV television mini-series Downton Abbey, piqued my interest about the social history of the Edwardian Period. I have only watched the first series (on youtube) simply because I am not fond of soap operas, and I must say that Downton Abbey is a posh soap opera. Rather than watch the whole series I decided to read books on social history of the era, which is so much more profitable and enjoyable.
Continue reading “Life Below Stairs, Allison Maloney (A Review)”
I have a friend who is so tender-hearted, very gracious and sweet, and she really does go out of her way to allow me to see her adorable children. And she’d take time off her busy schedule to meet up with me for lunch or tea, or had me over at her house for baking with her daughter. Continue reading “Baking and Playdate”
Located in Kensington Gardens, Serpentine Gallery was established in 1970 and is housed in a tea pavilion built in 1934. Continue reading “Serpentine Pavillion and Summer Houses 2016”
Unarguably the Lake District is known for its sparkling lakes, high fells and scenic valleys, but it also has limestone uplands, arable farmland and a coast that offers wide stretches of tidal sands, salt flats, marshes and plains. Continue reading “Charmed by The Lakeland: The Quaint and Unspoilt Seaside Villages (3/3)”